Pashinyan Says Beyond Hostages and Peace Deal, Armenia and Azerbaijan Must Build Lasting Relations
- 1 hour ago
- 2 min read
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Armenia and Azerbaijan must move beyond a peace agreement, border delimitation, regional unblocking, trade and cooperation on captives and missing persons, arguing that lasting peace will require a fundamental change in relations between the two societies.
Speaking at the National Assembly on Aug. 24 as he presented his government’s 2026-2031 program, Pashinyan said the “social and psychological” dimension of Armenia-Azerbaijan relations is critical to making peace durable.
“Beyond establishing and deepening trade and economic relations, border delimitation, cooperation on captives and missing persons, regional unblocking and even the signing of a peace agreement, the social and psychological dimension of Armenia-Azerbaijan relations is very important,” Pashinyan said.
“To make the peace that has been established lasting, it is important to establish peace at the social and psychological level as well,” he added.
Pashinyan said this requires both Armenia and Azerbaijan to accept each other within their internationally recognized borders. He said the territory of independent Armenia corresponds to that of Soviet Armenia, while independent Azerbaijan corresponds to Soviet Azerbaijan — “no more, no less.”
The prime minister also reiterated that the release and return of Armenians held in Azerbaijan remains on his government’s agenda.
“The release of our compatriots held in captivity in Azerbaijan and their return to Armenia has never left our working agenda and will not leave it until the issue is resolved,” he told lawmakers.
Pashinyan said Yerevan will continue working with Baku toward signing the peace agreement initialed in Washington on Aug. 8, 2025. Border delimitation will also continue, he said.
He predicted that Armenian exports to Azerbaijan could begin soon, alongside imports from Azerbaijan, and said his government would encourage Armenian businesses to pursue trade with the neighboring country.
“The launch and development of trade and economic relations with Azerbaijan will, of course, substantially strengthen the established peace,” Pashinyan said.
He then turned to one of the most politically sensitive parts of his vision for post-conflict relations, saying both countries should abandon narratives that challenge the territorial framework of the other.
Pashinyan said Armenia should end discourse about the return of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians and Armenian refugees to Azerbaijan, while Azerbaijan should end rhetoric about “Western Azerbaijan” and the claimed right of Azerbaijanis to return to Armenia.
He framed that shift as necessary for peaceful coexistence between future generations.
“We must stop looking for Armenia in Azerbaijan, and Azerbaijan must stop looking for Azerbaijan in Armenia,” Pashinyan said.
The remarks were part of Pashinyan’s broader presentation of the government’s five-year program, which lists strengthening and further institutionalizing peace with Azerbaijan among its central priorities through 2031.
—
Support independent reporting from the region by subscribing to The Armenian Report. Our team is funded solely by readers like you.
Comments